Improvement in cutting up and punching sole-leather



L. n; HAWKINS. Improvement in Cutting up and Punching Sole Leather.

Patented Nov. 7,1871r PATENT OFFICE.

LORENZO D. HAWKINS, OF STONEHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CUTTING UP AND PUNCHING SOLE-LEATHER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,642, dated November'7, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LORENZO D. HAWKINS, of Stoueham, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvemenu inOuttin g Up and Punchin g Leather Stock and I do hereby declare that thefollowing, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies andforms part of this specification, is a description of my inventionsufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

My invention relates to the construction of a machine for stripping orcutting up sole-leather and for punching out soles from strips or sidesof leather; the invention consisting in the method of effecting theadjustment of the bed or cutter-block as to height and lateral position;in the provision for stopping the platen or follower after each actionof the knife or punch; in the arrangement of the stripper or straightcutter :0 that it may be drawn up into the platen or follower, or may bemade to project therefrom in the method of applying the punchslide tothe follower and the punch to the slide; and in the employment of aswinging stripperknife, which may be thrown down under the platen orback and up therefrom; and in other details of construction orarrangement.

The drawing represents a machine embodying my invention.

A shows the machine in front elevation. B is a side elevation thereof. 0is a cross-section, showing the punch in end view. D is a similarcross-section, showing the strippenknife projecting below the follower.E is a similar crosssection, showing the swinging stripper-knife inposition to out, said knife being shown at C and D as swung out ofposition. a denotes the frame of the machine; I), a bar or beamextending between the two uprights of the frame a, and having under eachend a vertical screw-pin, c, which passes through two ears, d,projecting from the inner side of the adjacent upright, a nut, 0,working upon the screw between the ears, the nut having a bearingagainst the adjacent upper and under surfaces of the two cars. Bysimultaneously turning the two nuts 0 in the same direction the bar orbeam 1) is raised or lowered to raise or lower the bed-frame restingupon this bar. This bed-frame is shown at f. It is fastened to the topof the bar I) by suitable screws, c', the heads of which work in T-slots in the under side of the bed-frame, the screws passing through thebeam 1) and being drawn down by nuts 9. In the top of the bedframe f isthe cutting-block h, formed of wood, and having an upper surface uponwhich the leather is placed and against which the knife or punch acts.The frame f may be adjusted in position or removed by loosening the nuts9; and the block h may be removed from the frame f by loosening thescrews j. The top or cutting face of the block is adjusted in height forthe stroke of the cutter or punch by the nuts 0. Over the cutting-blockh is the vertically-reciprocating platen or follower k, the oppositeends of which pass through slots 1 in the opposite uprights of the framea, and slide on rods on. Links it connect the opposite ends of thefollower to crank-pins 0, extending from wheels 1) on the opposite endsof a shaft, q, driven from the driving-shaft r by gears s t. adenotesthe stripper-knife, for cutting up the stock into straightstrips, from which strips the soles are to be out by the punch or die.This knife is shown as confined in a stock, 12, hung upon two verticalscrews, w, (the screw-threads of which Work in nut-threads in thecutter-stock,) the screws having on their upper ends bevel-wheels x,(resting upon bosses y at the top of the follower,) said wheels meshinginto and being driv en by bevel-gears 2: on a horizontal shaft, a,journaled in suitable bearings and having a handwheel, 11 by means ofwhich the shaft is rotated and the knife raised or lowered. Theknifestock is placed in a slot or recess, 0 in the under part of thefollower, and when the stock is raised the knife withdraws into theslot, while, when the stock is lowered, the knife-edge projects downbeyond the lower face of the follower and is in position to cut, thecutting-block h being first brought up by the screws 0 so that thedown-stroke of the knife, effected by the links a, will bring the edgedown to the face of the block h. When the knife is drawn back into theplaten or follower the face of the latter is ready for the applicationthereto of the pun chcarrier or slide, for which application thefollower is formed with holding and guiding edgeflanges 61 Thepunch-carrier or slide 6 has lips f extending over and hanging andsliding upon these flanges (Z and on the underside of this slide is awheel or rotary disk, 9 having extending from it a stem, 7L2, upon whichis hung the punch-stock i having fastened upon its under side the punchk The punclrstock slides freely (vertically) upon the stem h and is notpressed against the leather until a shoulder, Z on the stem, as theplaten descends, strikes the top of the punch-stock, the punch, duringpart of the previous descent, resting loosely upon the leather, but insuch manner that it (the leather) can be freely moved under the punch tobring it into proper position for the action of the punch. Thepunch-stock turning freely on the stem, the disk-wheel rotates freely011 its axis, and the slide moves freely on the guide-flanges 61 and, bythese provisions for movement of the punch, it can be readily broughtover any part of the cutter-block. The lips f by which the slide is hungto the platen or follower-flanges, are the top plates of swivelinghangers or hooks, m turning on corner-pins a and by swinging thesehangers outward their hold upon the flanges d is removed, and the punchmechanism may then be taken off for the action of the stripperknife orstraight cutter.

Instead of the vertically-adjustable cutter or knife, (protruding fromor retreating within the platen or follower, as described,) the cuttermay be attached to a bar or stock, n having ears 0 pivoted to ears p ontop of the follower, as seen at O, D, and E, this stock being thrown up,as seen at O and D, when the punch is in position, and being thrownunder the follower, as seen at E, when the punch mechanism is removedand the stripper-cutter is to operate. This swinging cutter may be usedin place of the cutterstock c,- or the machine may be provided witheach.

The machine is to be driven by power, the driving-belt running upon afast and loose pulley, g It is essential that but one blow of the knifeor punch should be given at one turn, or before readjustment of theknife or punch or stock for another operation. To insure this result Iconnect the pulley by an unclutching mechanism, which automaticallyoperates to disengage it from the drivingshaft after each blow iseffected, this mechanism being as follows: r denotes a pulley fast onthe driving-shaft, and having a conical inner face fitting into aconversely-shaped recess in the adjacent face of the fast and loosepulley g On the inner side of the pulley g is a hub having a groove,into which the points of a shipper-fork, 8 extend, this fork being onthe end of a rocker-shaft, t turning in bearings a and having an arm,if, from which a finger, 20 extends, this arm being drawn against aflange, on the crank-wheel p by a spring, 3 At one point in this flangethere is a break or slot, 2 and when this slot, in the rotation of thecrank-wheel, and after the action of the punch or knife, is broughtopposite to the finger W, the spring draws in said finger, which turnsthe shaft t and causes the clutch-fork to throw back the pulley g anddisengage its friction surface from the driving-wheel or cone 4, therebystopping further action of the knife or p unch.

To throw the machine into operation again, a pedal-board, a may beconnected to arms I) of levers c (pivoted at (1 the other arms 6 of saidlevers being pivoted or connected to an arm, f

extending down from the rocker-shaft. Depression of the pedal-boardturns the shaft 29, throws the finger @42 out from the slot or recess 0and causes. the clutch-fork to drive the pulley g against the pulley orcone 1, when the shaft q will again be rotated and the follower kthereby operated, the pedal enabling the operator, while holding theleatherin any position along the cutter-block, to put the machine intooperation without dropping or releasing the leather, and without movingfrom his position anywhere along the front of the machine.

I claim- 1. In combination with the vertically-reciprocating platen orfollower k for imparting a positive movement to the stripper-knife, thecutterblock h, having provision for vertical adjustment at its oppositeends, substantially as described. g

2. In combination with the bed f and follower 7c, the mechanism forstripping and the mechanism for punching, when both are arranged uponthe follower to permit either to be brought into or out of action atwill, either to cutthe leather into strips or to punch soles or otherblanks therefrom, substantially as described.

3. The stripper-knife and stock it 0), combined with screws w, shaft aand gears z w, to effect the retreat of the knife into the follower orits projection therefrom, substantially as shown and described.

4. The stripper-knife arm n arranged upon the follower, as shown anddescribed, to permit it to be swung down under the follower intoposition to cut, and up over the follower and out of position, as setforth.

5. The punch-slide 6 arranged to slide upon the ways or flanges d of thefollower, substantially as described.

6. The punch-slide e made with the hangers m arranged to be swung onpins, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. The rotary punch-disk or wheel 9 connected with and carried by theslide, and having connected to and rotating with it the punchstem 1L2,substantially as shown and described.

8. The punch-stock i sliding vertically upon the stem h substantially asdescribed.

9. In combination with the vertically-reciprocating punching orstripping mechanism, the described automatic stop mechanism, operated bythe finger u; when drawn into slot z in the flange, substantially as setforth.

10. In combination with the described stop mechanism, the mechanism forbringing the cutting or punching mechanism into action, consisting ofthe pedal-board a levers 0 and arm f on rock-shaft t substantially asshown and described.

11. The bed or bed-frame f secured to the beam by the screws 13, whichpermit of lateral adjustment and removal of the bed, substantially asdescribed.

L. D. HAWKINS.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS GOULD, M. W. FROTHINGHAM. (16)

